Juvenile center faces shortfall

LEWISTON (AP) - Officials who oversee a regional juvenile detention center in northern Idaho's Nez Perce County are looking for way to reduce a $485,000 operating shortfall.

Commissioners from four other counties served by the facility said Monday they're willing to consider helping cover a portion of the deficit if it means keeping troubled youths closer to home, the Lewiston Tribune reported.

The center's advisory board includes commissioners from Latah, Lewis, Clearwater, Idaho and Nez Perce counties.

While the counties are willing to look at helping with the shortfall, Nez Perce County Commission Chairman Douglas W. Havens said he's not ready to give up on the possibility of sending some juveniles to a detention facility in eastern Washington, about 20 miles southwest of Spokane.

The commissioners are still waiting on a firm proposal from the Martin Hall Juvenile Detention Facility in Medical Lake, Wash. Havens noted that a preliminary offer included free transportation of inmates for one year and could prove an incentive for pursuing the agreement.

But state officials are urging caution before commissioners propose sending young inmates out of state, saying each transfer would require a permit.

Also, the 100-mile trip could prove a headache, said Sharon Harrigfeld, director of the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections.

"Think of an arrest at 2 a.m. in January," Harrigfeld said.

Meanwhile, the state agency ruled out helping close the budget gap at the Lewiston facility, saying there is neither funding nor prisoners in need of the beds as Idaho's youth inmate population declines. The number of juveniles in state custody has dropped from an average of 440 to 330.

Shawn McDowell heads the regional detention facility and presented several alternatives for reducing costs, including scenarios that would eliminate full-time or part-time positions while relying more on part-time personnel who don't get benefits.

When it comes to commissioners helping cover part of the deficit, McDowell suggested the contributions be based on how much each county uses the facility.

Commissioners need more direction from Nez Perce County before deciding how to move forward, said Clearwater County Commissioner Don Ebert. That includes making a decision on whether to transfer inmates to Washington or find a regional solution.

Nez Perce County needs to say, "This is what we would like to happen," Ebert said.

Information from: Lewiston Tribune, http://www.lmtribune.com